Unlimited access >

Favorite h/j barns in NC?

The husband and I want to relocate somewhere in NC when the kids go to college. I obviously want access to horses, he wants golf. I would like to find a really good trainer/program/boarding barn. I’d like to find someone who is a great instructor, great rider, and isn’t at shows 30+ weeks of the year. Super horse care is obviously priority.

Ideally, we’d like to be within an hour of a commercial airport.

Am I dreaming? Anyone have a recommendation?

I’m in Raleigh, and there’s quite a few places that fit the bill, although you might want to give a rough budget and note if you’d like to show or not. Show barns run at what I consider a premium out here, although you can find plenty of private barns with stalls/pastures available for much less and have trainers come in. I’m half leasing at Fetching Hat Farms in Apex/New Hill and adore my trainers, we do both A and C shows and they have lesson horses available. I’m happy to PM about some of the other barns in the area.

You might prefer the Southern Pines area, that is really the golf mecca of the area and there’s absolutely endless horse possibilities. The Carolina Horse Park is down there as is the Walther Moss Foundation. It’s a bit further than an hour from RDU, though if I didn’t have to work up here that’s where I’d want to be!

You’ve just described Southern Pines/Pinehurst! We are one hour from the Raleigh airport and the Hunt Complex (that hosts a lot of H/J shows). Pinehurst is known as the “home of American golf” with 40 golf courses located within the county. Southern Pines is a horse mecca with 5000 acres dedicated to equestrian use known as the Walthour Moss Foundation. Most farms have access to the Foundation or to Weymouth Woods (a state park). We have a variety of horse keeping situations from small private to trainer run. The Carolina Horse Park is just down the road (15 minutes) and hosts 10 NCHJA “C” shows and 3 USEF A shows a year. Horse keeping is not cheap here (even in the small private barns) but it depends on the area of the country you’re moving from as to whether or not you think its expensive.

3 Likes

Tryon/Columbus, NC. Charlotte is an hour, GSP is 45 minutes. F.E.N.C.E., Harmon Field and Tryon International Equestrian Center are all there. Lots of barns to choose from, tons of shows and a large horse community. Three good sized cities with very different vibes. Asheville, Charlotte and Greenville, SC.

Depending on where you are coming from the southern pines area may disappoint you. The quality and quantity of shows in the area is not up to the standard of places like Aiken, Tryon, NOVA, Ocala, etc. however, the golfing is great and one of my favorite trainers ever is in Carthage, ByWay Farms. I highly recommend her. However if where you are at now doesn’t have a ton of horse shows or you really aren’t that in to showing, the southern pines area may be a great fit. There is a nice trail system there, some fabulous places to eat, and it’s about an hour to Raleigh, which is a nice city.

You aren’t dreaming! You can find that here. How often do you want to lesson and show? Do you want A shows or C shows?

Our C shows held in Raleigh and at the Carolina Horse Park are very good quality shows with well designed courses and many ponies/horses who also show A shows. There are Adult Equitation Finals for both.

House prices in Wake County (area closest to the RTP airport) are bonkers right now with most houses selling before they hit the market with sight unseen offers and high due diligence.

Golf and horses definitely exist here. COTH can help you find the horses and your hubs just needs to go to Pinehurst which is an anchor site for the US Open!

Thanks! I want really good instruction and horse training at home. I’m meh on showing. 2-3 times a year is good for me, and I don’t care whether they’re AA or C shows.

1 Like

Do you need to be near a job? Or can you be anywhere in NC?

My husband and I both have the option of working remotely, so anywhere in NC will work.

1 Like

Definitely move to the Southern Pines/Pinehurst/Aberdeen area. There are some H/J barns-Harold Chopping, Merilee Ventura, MaryAnn Charles. Carolina Horse Park hosts numerous events & just added some more H/J shows. Horse complex is about an hour away. Moss Foundation for trail riding is awesome. Great horse community.

Your husband will be in golf heaven. Many golf courses including where the US Open has been played. Great places to eat in the area.

3 Likes

Should have asked-hunters or jumpers?

Both actually.

With the same horse? If so, what height? And what do you hope board/training will be each month?

No, not with the same horse.

Nothing huge. 3’ hunters or 1.0m jumpers is probably my limit. I’ve done bigger in the past, but I don’t have the appetite for it anymore. But I’ll say that I am a really committed learner, so the trainer’s ability to teach advanced concepts is paramount to me.

I don’t want to set a board/training budget until I learn what’s realistic in each area.

another vote for Southern Pines/Vass.
I moved to the area for a 3-year job, and fell in love so we bought a farm and now call NC our forever home.

We have lots of good venues for schooling and rated shows, and NC state vet school is great for emergencies. Since there are SO many horses in the area, we have a ton of options for vets, farriers, bodywork, etc, so you can find someone who practices the style you want. There are several options for good H/J trainers, and you can align with someone serious who does FL all winter, or stays home and shows in NC/SC/VA on weekends, or just does the very local circuit. Again, due to density, there are just lot of choices.

It’s hot and humid in the summer, but if you get up early and finish riding by 11am, you’re fine. The ‘Sandhills’ really is sandy, so we don’t have mud. The Walthor Moss foundation has thousands of acres of trails, open and free of charge to all horses ridden/driven, as well as a hunter trial field where you can go school log jumps, coops, small banks, etc. It truly is Mecca, though as others have said, costs of horse keeping may surprise you if you’re coming from, say, the midwest. The biggest expense is hay, since the local "coastal bermuda’ carries increased colic risk, so most of us pay more for T/O/A shipped from up north or out west. Join the “Sandhills Equestrians” page on FB, where there are lots of posts about boarding options, events, etc.

And Southern Pines/Pinehurst/Whispering Pines has a zillion golf courses and hosts the US Open every few years.

1 Like

HI there, this is a timely post. I am moving from CA to Southern Pines in Oct for the horses and golf. I work on the east coast so it’s a win/win. Starting a search for boarding stables, I show 3’ Adult Amateur hunters with an OTTB. Looking to spend under $750 with an arena w/jumps, access to the Foundation trails, turnout (I know, every place has that… I’m from CA remember ) and shelter from the rain. It could be a stall with turnout as well. Don’t need to be “in training”, lessons would be great but I can trailer somewhere for those.
Suggestions welcomed and appreciated! I am heading there this week and will stop a h/j show at Carolina Horse Park.
Cheers!

2 Likes

I would join the Sandhills Area Equestrian page on Facebook. It covers the Southern Pines area and you will get more of a response on there.

1 Like

Someone else said the same and so I did join and got lots of responses. Thank you for the suggestion.

1 Like